WL balances access for disabled

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Many of us take the use of our legs and feet for granted. We simply walk around any obstacle on the way to a destination.

But not everyone has that luxury. NewsChannel 18's special report "Balancing Access" investigates whether West Lafayette is following federal guidelines to make sure disabled Americans have access.

Jan Myers is out and about in what she calls her "Blue Buggy" no matter the weather. She has developed Inclusion Body Myositis, also known as IBM. It's a degenerative disease that weakens her muscles much like Lou Gehrig's disease.

"I personally have gone through losing the ability to walk,” said Myers.

She's struggled to get around for the past 20 years.

"There are so many things we're being excluded from,” she said.

Walk with Jan and she'll show you the trouble spots and bumps in the road: crosswalk buttons too small for her to press, slanted sidewalks and huge hills. She recently filed two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) federal complaints against the City of West Lafayette because of mobility obstacles.

"If there is one thing I can do, it is make the world a little easier for everyone,” said Myers.

The first complaint deals with the construction on Lindberg Road. It blocks her route to the Lilly Nature Center and there is no simple detour for her to take. She says if access is provided in any way, like a sidewalk or trail, then a reasonable alternative path must be given during construction. The other complaint focuses on trails in West Lafayette not being disabled-friendly. Myers said they are almost completely inaccessible to the sight impaired. She, too, struggles when she uses them because of the steep grades she encounters.

"It just amazes me because there is a very complete tool kit for how to implement these things,” said Myers.

Mayor John Dennis admits there is room for improvement.

"We're doing everything within our power to make sure we have equal access in this community for all,” he explained. "We recognize that we are not perfect.”

But Dennis counters that overall the city is accessible.

"The City of West Lafayette, for years has been using the ADA standards and ADA legislation as a model of how we do improvements,” he explained.

He points out that much of the Americans with Disabilities Act is recommendations and not law. He said the city works to comply with the law because making decisions based on recommendations could be costly if those suggestions change.

"Is money an excuse? Absolutely not. It is the law and we will comply with the law,” said Dennis.

For Myers, that compliance has come more slowly than she'd like and "Blue Buggy" can move. Her disease may change the way she gets around, but it will never stop her from going. Myers says she will continue to be an "accessibility advocate" for everyone, even as her own body continues to become less mobile.